Brother Trouble
by AstraCastle
Summary: Astro is happy with how things turned out. Everyone seems to accept him as a robot hero, hes back with his best friends, and his father finally accepts and loves him. However, when Toby turns out to be alive, and Tenma wants to keep both boys as his sons, they instantly hate each other, and that's where the brother trouble starts. Can they learn to get along and be good brothers?
1. Chapter 1

**A.N.- Hey guys! So here it is, the long awaited Astro Boy Story _Brother Trouble._ So sorry this is a little late. I am guilty of spending all my time today at the pool WOOHOO! Having fun right after school is out. Hell yeah :) but anyway, back to this...**

**So I should be updating regularly, probably every 2-3 days since I'm busy almost every day, but there's always room for writing ;) So, recapping what this story will be about:**

**Astro is happy with the way things are; he's finally been accepted by everyone, his father loves him again, and he has friends that adore him. But things turn bad when it is discovered that Toby is back and alive! Toby is confused, but then instantly takes on a hatred towards our favorite robot, and vice versa. Can they learn to grow up and get the hell along with each other? Read this and find out! :D**

**Disclaimer (I'm only doing this once so remember it each chapter): Astro Boy does not belong to me. He belongs to the creator of our fav robot, and the movie belongs to Imagi Studios. I just simply love messing with this ^.^**

**PROLOGUE **

The boy gasped for air, coughing furiously in his place on a soft patch of grass. It was so hard for him to breathe; almost like he had forgotten how to. And then he wondered... _When was the last time I actually breathed like this?_

Slowly, he turned around in his spot so that he was on his back, eyes tightly closed shut, breathing heavy. What on Earth had happened to him that had caused all this?

Hesitantly, the boy opened his eyes, the light brown orbs wide and untrusting as he looked up at the sky above him in who knows how long. The sun was just setting in the sky, making the sky a brilliant orange and red color with the clouds rimmed with slight pink. The boy coughed again and blinked rapidly, looking around with confusion etched onto his face, showing exactly what he was; confused. Where was he? He didn't remember coming here at all. Actually, now that he thought about it, he didn't remember anything about the last couple of days. What was he doing here? He slowly got up, dusting off his clothes which were really dirty with dirt and dust. He even saw that they were slightly tattered in various places.

The boy looked around, curious. He was in some sort of field where there was a lot of grass and a few trees spread out like there would be in a park. Few buildings of Metro City could be seen from his spot. He knew this place... It started coming back to him now. He used to come here with his dad sometimes when he was little.

Realising something, his eyes widened and he looked around more frantically, turning this way and that. "Dad?" he called out to nothing. "Dad?"

Where was his dad? Last time he saw him was at...

It suddenly dawned on him, and he fell onto his knees, brown eyes swirling with trouble. He remembered that day at the Ministry. Clear as crystal to be exact. It all started to play out in his mind: How he had wanted to see the demonstration of the Peacekeeper so badly and went, to his father's utter dismay, and unfortunately got destroyed by the robot.

He was supposed to be dead right now. And yet here he was, living in the flesh, actually breathing...

"I-I died..." He told himself, frozen in place as he reached over with one hand and touched the other, completely mesmerized. How could this be? What was going on? He leaned forward and was on his hands and knees now, fingers digging into the earth and picking at the grass. For some reason, he believed the answer would be there...

"Hey Astro!" Came a little kid's call. He looked up and saw a little boy with blonde hair and broken glasses right in front of his face looking at him in wonder and awe. The kid was beaming from ear to ear, continuing, "How's it going, Astro?"

_Astro?_ The boy thought, confused. _Who the hell is Astro? _He looked around him to see if there was anyone else around, but no one else was there. He turned back to the little boy, puzzled. "Are you speaking to me?"

The little kid nodded and rolled his eyes a little. "Of course I'm talking to you!" He said. "You're the only Astro there is! Duh."

The boy looked at him in an odd way, shaking his head as he was quick to deny, "N-No, you must be confused. I'm no Astro, I'm Toby."

The little boy furrowed his eyebrows, light blue eyes going sad and upset. "No you're not. You're Astro Boy, stop lying."

Toby opened his mouth slightly, about to say something else like why he was calling him Astro when he clearly wasn't this so called 'Astro', when all of a sudden a woman in a tight gray dress a few yards away from them called over, "Jake, it's time to go, honey!" The lady beckoned for Jake to go over to her.

Jake turned around and yelled, "Coming Mommy!" He turned back to a dazed Toby. "I have to go now, but I hope I get to meet you again some day!" He started to take off through the fresh grass towards his mother, but not before calling over his shoulder, "Bye Astro!" He continued to run until he ran right into the woman's wide arms, catching him and picking him up. She glanced over at Toby for a second with a hint of fascination in her eyes before turning around towards the city and walking with her son in her arms.

Toby stared on after them, a bunch on questions swimming in his head. He needed answers to so many things, it boggled his mind a bit.

How did he get here?

Why was he here?

Where was his father?

Wasn't he supposed to be dead right about now?

And most importantly, the one question that bothered him the most: Who was this Astro person, and why was that little kid calling him that?

**A.N.- So! We are now at the end of the prologue! Yay, release the balloons!**

**Astro: *pulls string as balloons fly everywhere* :D**

**So how did you guys like it? Any questions, comments, predictions, any of that can go into reviews or PMs if you wish, and I hope you all enjoyed it. I'm sorry if it appeared short, but I didn't want to get too carried away, because once I start writing, it's hard to get me to stop. Yes, the first few chapters might be a little short, but trust me, they WILL get longer and much, much better!**

**Next Update: Around Saturday-ish. Or maybe even tomorrow... I don't know, I'll gotta see what my plans are, but it will be soon though.**

**Until the next update, have a good one guys! :D**


	2. Chapter 2

**A.N- Hey guys! Happy 4th of July, where we gained the rights to independence and being able to trash talk other colonies! Woot Woot! So sorry this is a few days late because I said Saturday! :( Really sorry, but my internet relies on a wifi connection and its been away for a while and finally came back today, so thats good! Now I can write again :D So here's chapter 1. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 1**

A sigh came out of the silver robot's mechanical blue mouth as he rolled over to the expensive, oak brown bookcase. It was the time of day when he would dust all of 's fancy antique furniture that crowded the whole Tenma household. Tenma adored his furniture as it was some of the most fanciest ones in Metro City, given that he had good money with his job as a top scientist at the Ministry. Orrin didn't really have to put too much into it, but he did as a good housebot should. He dusted the shelves and the tops of the many thick books that lined said shelves, making sure they were all dust free before he moved onto the few vases containing beautiful tropical plants. Hopefully he would finish this job before Tenma arrived home from his job.

'Wow, Sharon! It's absolutely amazing isn't it?'

'Why yes it is, Jack! It appears our beloved robot hero has done it again for this city.'

Orrin heard the two news people having a conversation from the big TV and slightly turned his head to see what was going on. Clearly Astro was having a blast of a night.

'I mean the way he took out that gigantic thing! It was so exciting to see that I was ready to jump out of my seat.'

'Quite the view it was. Let's take a look at the fight again shall we?'

The newsroom was only seen for 2 more seconds before it transformed into a scene recorded from earlier. On the screen was none other than Astro, who had his jets at full speed under his feet high in the sky, about 40 feet off the ground and above Metro City. Orrin gaped as he saw Astro holding a huge, black and bronze robot in just his two hands, keeping it lifted up there with him as he wore a concentrated look on his face. After a moment, he slowly started to spin around, and around and around in a circle, making the robot spin like crazy. Citizens gasped a gasp that was mutual to the one Orrin had let out, and after some crazy twirling at high speeds, Astro grunted and let go of the robot with such force it went crying and twirling quickly through the sky. It soared in the sky quickly and disappeared out of sight as it went flying to who knows where. The people of the city started to erupt in applause and cheers while Astro tried to catch his breath. He floated back down to the city's grounds and gave everyone a weak smile.

'Absolutely stunning.'

'Of course it was! I saw it before, but after seeing it again, I'm still breathless.'

"Astro Boy!" Some kids on the screen appeared from the huge group of people who had witnessed everything. They ran up to Astro and all tried to talk to him all at once. Astro smiled, answered some questions, gave some autographs, and ruffled some hair.

'Aw, you see that? Metro City really seems to like Astro!'

'Yup. Everyone is finally warming up to the little guy now, and I don't blame 'em. Boy can he fight!'

The recorded scene showed Astro saying bye to the last bit of fans before shooting off into the sky and flying off in the distance.

Orrin shook his head with a smile and kept dusting off the vases in the quiet living room. A huge draft came in through the window all of a sudden, ruffling the yellow curtains but the robot ignored it believing it to be nothing, continuing his job.

"They're still showing that whole robot fight thing?"

Orrin squealed and jumped back out of fright as he heard the random voice come out of nowhere so suddenly. He clutched the duster to his metallic chest as his eyes remained wide and panicked. Standing before him was Astro, the little robot boy's eyebrows furrowed and head tilted slightly. "Did I scare you Orrin?"

Orrin gave a chuckle and composed himself, saying, "Just a bit, yeah."

"Oh," Astro gave a small smile, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm sorry. It's just that they've been giving that whole thing over and over again all day. It makes me feel even more tired than I already am."

The silver housebot went back to dusting a vase, picking it up off the small table it was on and dusting the bottom. "Perhaps you should go lie down for now. should be home soon."

Astro nodded, looking down to his red boots. "Yeah, you're probably right." He started to walk towards his room. He passed Orrin and gently patted him on the back before strolling off down the hall again.

He walked slowly and tiredly down the polished halls of the house, feeling his moves dragged and weak. Even robots got tired too sometimes, and this certain robot was no exception. Especially with the job he had of being a hero and all. Such tough work to do, but in the end, it was for the people of his home. His city.

Once he reached his room, he sighed and jumped onto his fixed, tidy bed, clutching the pillow tightly in his hands. He buried his face in the soft fabric and closed his brown eyes, smiling to himself.

_This is exactly what I need. Some peace and quiet..._

He rested in the same position for a while, starting to slowly drift off into his shut down, about to feel the absolute bliss of sleep, when the doorbell rang out twice. Astro winced at the sound of the bell that disturbed his peace, opening his eyes lazily and staring at his pillow.

_Dad's home..._

"I'll get it!" Orrin yelled out like always, and Astro could literally almost hear the sound of his wheels rolling him to the door of the house. Astro stayed there, waiting for his father to usually come in and see him after a tiring day.

After a few minutes, which, Astro believed, consisted of Tenma coming in, setting his things down, getting comfortable, and talking briefly with Orrin, Tenma slowly arrived at Astro's bedroom door. The scientist pushed it open slightly to see if his son was still awake.

He saw his robot son lying down on his stomach, head turned towards his wall. He couldn't quite tell if he was awake, but he could tell one thing; he looked so much like Toby. Tenma held back an agonized sigh as he thought about his dead son for the millionth time. It hurt sometimes, knowing that he would no longer be able to see him ever again, and at times the pain was out of character for him and too much to bare. However, he reminded himself that Toby was in a better place right now and that he had Astro now. He wasn't going to give up on him again like he did before, rejecting him and throwing him away at a time where all he was was a confused little robot not knowing what to do. Tenma was actually glad to have him back and would treat him like he should be treated, because whether he wanted to believe it or not, he did owe him a lot after all he's been through in his short robotic life.

Tenma sighed this time and gave a small smile. He liked Astro very much; not because he was a robot, but because he was his son.

Astro heard his father sighing and slowly turned his head over to look at him standing in the doorway, eyes hooded with tiredness.

"Hey Dad," Astro mumbled sleepily, giving a small smile.

Tenma smiled in return and opened the door a little more, inviting himself in as he stepped more into the room. "Hello son. Did you have a good day?"

Astro rubbed his eyes as his dad sat at the end of his bed beside his red boots. He shrugged and replied, "If you wanna call battling bad robots and people all day every day a good time, then yeah, I guess I did."

His father smirked and remarked, "So I take it you had a _very _good day?"

"With all those robots at the mall this morning?" Astro rolled his eyes. "No kidding! And that huge one this afternoon-"

Tenma interrupted suddenly, cutting in with, "About that..." He looked down at his lap for a moment before picking his head back up to grin at his son. He patted the boy's arm and truthfully said, "I am very proud of you, Astro. So proud you wouldn't believe it."

The robot furrowed his brows and sat up slowly, sitting straight as he crossed his legs. He looked at Tenma, confused, and asked, "Why? All I did was defeat another bad guy again. No different than what cops do."

"Don't be so modest, son!" Tenma told him, shaking his head. "What you do is absolutely amazing and it is very different than what police do."

Astro bit his lip and looked away towards his window, distracting himself with the two window cleaning robots wiping down his own. "How?"

Tenma thought about it for a moment, trying to come up with a way to explain it. "Can cops shoot up into the sky with only their feet and arms?" When his son didn't answer, he went on, "Can they transform their arm into a powerful cannon? Can they punch through almost anything with only their fists? The things you do Astro are alone astounding. But the way you _use _your abilities... That is beyond any brilliant word I can think of."

Astro scoffed and looked back at his dad. "It's all thanks to you, Dad, not me. You built me, remember? And you put the blue core into me."

"That may be true," his father nodded, looking him right in the eye then. "But it is also true that you have feelings with the core. You could simply be like any other bad robot and use your powers for evil and rule over everyone. On the contrary, you don't. You chose to do what you do; saving the city when you don't have to. You're just a little kid and a citizen. I gave you those powers for defense, not for being a hero. It is _you _who chose this path, and no other person would do that..." He put a firm hand on his son's shoulder, finishing, "No other person would put their people before themselves the dangerous way you do. The only person that ever will... is you, son."

By the time he was done talking, Astro felt like bursting into tears for some odd reason, but he didn't. The things he said... They ran in his mind and showed him that he was more than just a robot. His father, who had abandoned him and treated him like dirt, was now praising him and making him feel like he was more than what he thought himself to be.

He wasn't just a robot that was looked at once and was instantly treated badly like everyone usually did.

He wasn't just a bunch of metal and bolts.

He wasn't just some stupid copy and replacement of some dead kid.

He was more than that. He was Astro Boy, beloved hero to all the citizens,friend of many other kids, and the son of his proud father, .

"Thanks Dad..." Astro's voice was a little weak when he talked, thanking his father with his now happy brown eyes and wholesome smile. "For everything."

"Don't mention it, son," Tenma lost his stern look from the speech before and broke into a smile as well. He gave him one last pat on his shoulder before getting up from the bed and standing tall. "Good night, son. Sleep well."

The boy gave a small wave as his dad headed for the door. "Night, Dad."

Tenma gave his son one last look before vanishing out the door, closing it softly behind him.

Astro let out a small breath he had been holding in, looking happily at the door where his dad had just left through.

_He finally does care about me..._

**A.N- Hello again. Hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! :D So this was just a chapter to explain how Astro has been doing with his life so far. The citizens adore him, he is a great robot hero, and looks like Tenma loves his son now! ^.^ Next chapter is _most likely_ Toby's return, but I'm not too sure about it yet. **

**Next Update: Should be around this Saturday or Sunday since I have some plans for these next few days. And please note that I will update on the days I put UNLESS (please make sure you're aware) my wifi decides to leave me again. It all depends. Until then, bye guys, and remember, DO DRUGS AND DON'T STAY IN SCHOOL!**

**Astro: There are a few things wrong with that statement**

**Me: Oh yeah? Like what? -.- Seems fine to me**

**Astro: First off, it's DON'T do drugs and STAY in school**

**Me: Ohh... I thought it was... Oops**

**Astro: And anyway, schools over so it doesn't matter about the whole school part :D **

**Me: Alright SO DAMN SMART you can stop now. Anyway, bye guys! Update and tell me what you think ;)**


	3. Chapter 3

**A.N- Oh my God everyone I'm so, so, SO sorry for the long wait! It's been how long, a week? Two weeks? Three?! No a month! Ugh I'm such a terrible person, but I've been so busy with things and not to mention my wifi decided to hate my guts and has been turning on and off every so often, so it was hard to write and such. I tried to make this long, but sometimes when the wifi would get cut off, it wouldn't save my changes, and I decided to just make it short and cut to the chase since it wouldn't ease up on me, so I'm sorry if this chapter seems kind of short and very vague :( Basically you saw how close Astro and Tenma were getting, along with how much the city adored him. So now you will just take a small glimpse at how Astro is getting along with his friends. Next chapter is definitely Toby's shocking return! So sit back and enjoy :D**

**Chapter 2**

"So I was thinking maybe we could-"

_Slurp._

"Maybe we could-"

_Sluuuuurp._

"I was thinking MAYBE we could-"

_SLUUUURP._

Zane let out an agitated groan and banged his fist on the small white table they were sitting at. "Cora, do you _mind?!" _He asked in an exasperated tone.

The teenage girl gave an innocent smile at him, twisting her straw around the inside of her cup with her finger. "Not at all Zane. Please continue."

"Thank you," Zane said sarcastically, then went on, "So I was thinking that-"

_Slurp!_

Zane groaned again and buried his face in his hands, clearly frustrated as Cora tried to hold back a laugh begging to escape her lips. She had to admit, she felt kinda bad for him, but then again it was funny teasing him and making him irritated, all the same.

Astro let out a low chuckle as he watched them. "Cora, leave the poor guy alone," he said to her, even though his brown eyes showed utter amusement.

"What?" She asked innocently, drinking from her smoothie with the annoying slurping sound. "All I'm doing is drinking this. Nothing wrong with that now is there?"

"I don't like you," Zane muttered miserably, and this time Cora had to laugh. It was funny how every single time she did something like this to him, he would say the exact same thing, in the exact same tone. Zane picked his head up to look at her with furrowed brows and narrowed, conflicted eyes. "Why won't you just let me talk?"

Cora shrugged and answered, "I dunno."

Feeling sympathy for Zane, Astro threw a quick glance at Cora to make sure she wasn't paying attention as she had a silent stare off with Zane, before swiftly reaching out and taking her smoothie cup, hiding it under the table in his hands. "Zane," he tried to get his attention and succeeded when the boy snapped out of it, blinking and looking towards him. "Did you have any ideas for what we could do today?"

"Yes," Zane stated coldly, throwing a warning look at Cora before turning back to Astro. "I was thinking maybe we could all go to-"

"H-Hey!" Cora suddenly spoke up, eyes darting around the table. "Where the hell did my smoothie go?"

"Um, I don't know," Astro shrugged, trying hard not to be the one to laugh this time. "Maybe someone who works here saw it and threw it out, thinking you were done?"

Cora pouted and glared at Zane, folding her arms across her chest as she let out a small breath of annoyance. "How rude," she muttered under her breath.

Zane let a smile grow on his lips as he started speaking again. "Maybe we could all go to the park or something. You know, to hang out and fool around. We could get Widget and Sludge with us, too."

At the mention of Widget and Sludge, Astro's eyebrows raised in question and he asked, "Speaking of those two, what exactly happened to them? Did they find their parents?"

He knew that beforehand, Widget and Sludge obviously didn't have a home while living with Hamegg in the orphanage. Now that Hamegg was gone and the orphanage was out of business, all the kids that had been staying there would have to either go live in another orphanage in Metro City or return to their parents if they were found. Lucky for Cora, she had found her parents at last minute and they had immediately welcomed her back with open arms. Astro knew Zane was already living at a small, local orphanage nearby where he was allowed to go outside at certain times but would have to return at certain times as well. As for Trashcan, the little robot dog was currently staying at Astro's place for a while until he could find him a home that wasn't the streets. It took a load of convincing, but finally Tenma had agreed.

But what about his other two friends? Where had they ended up?

To Astro's relief, Zane answered with a smile still on his face, "Don't worry, Astro. They're staying at the same orphanage I'm staying at."

"Oh thank God," Astro let out a relieved sigh, leaning back in his seat, bringing his hands in his lap. He suddenly heard Cora gasp, and when he turned to look at her, she had a glare burning right at him. Startled, he let out a, "What?"

She reached over and snatched the smoothie cup right out of his hands, and Astro's mouth went agape when he realized he had forgotten it was in his hands. Cora stuck her tongue out at him and started to slurp on her treat again, never easing up on her glare.

Astro gulped, feeling uncomfortable and shifting in his seat, but then Zane grinned and exclaimed, "You did that? All right Astro!" He reached out to give him a high five, eyes twinkling, but when Cora gave him a warning look, he frowned and dropped his hand into his lap, looking down at his sneakers under the table.

An awkward silence filled the air aside from Cora's loud slurping, but Zane quietly reached his hand out to Astro in a silent offer, to which the robot responded by silently slapping his palm against his.

The silence was disturbed when a woman came barging into the store, a look of pure horror on her face, skin a sickly greenish color. The kids sat up immediately in alarm, looking towards her. "Help!" She screamed, darting her eyes around the all the people. "A huge thing is attacking the middle of Metro City!"

Astro opened his mouth to say something, but then looked towards his friends. They both watched him with curious eyes, and he didn't exactly want to leave them, but he knew he had no choice. He was a hero, and he had to help the city. He gave them both an apologetic look while saying, "Sorry, guys, but I really gotta take this."

Cora shook it off with her hand, dismissing the apology. "Don't worry about it. Just go, they need you."

Astro nodded and turned to Zane with a smirk. "Raincheck on the park, okay?"

Zane smiled and nodded. "Sure thing, buddy."

The robot took a deep breath and nodded, looking up to the shop's roof, plotting a way to bust out and fly off. After a moment, he put on a look of determination and blasted his rockets to life, flying towards the roof.

"Astro wait!"

Hearing this, he stopped and looked back where he saw Cora standing directly under his, a look of worry and concern on her face, though it was obvious she was trying to hide it. Biting her lip, she looked up at him and said, "Be careful. Don't do anything foolish."

Astro gave a soft smile at her, and she returned it. Zane killed the moment though with a laugh. "Yeah and don't die again!"

Cora cringed but shook it off as Astro smirked and replied to both their statements, "I won't." And with that, he flew off, busting into the roof and speeding off towards the center of Metro City.

Cora and Zane stared at where he had just vanished to in silence. Zane let out a puff of air and said, "Seriously, if he dies and ZOG is nowhere to be found..."

The teenage girl glared at him and smacked his arm. He let out a painful ow and rubbed his injured arm with a pout and Cora rolled her eyes, proceeding to push him out of the store, throwing one last look at the hole in the roof before walking out the door.

**A/N: So yeah, a short, brief glimpse of Astro, Cora, and Zane. Next chapter should be Toby's return. However, I have some news to tell you guys. On August 15, I am going away on a short vacation and should be back right before September, so just giving you guys a heads up I might not update until then :( I'll definitely update Toby's return before vacation, of course, but the rest... well let's just hope they give me internet in the hotel room, or even better, a computer. Hope you guys liked this one! Bye until the next one! :D**


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Hey guys! So glad you guys liked the other chapter and thought it was funny. Thanks to those who reviewed and have sent me private messages of support. It means a lot guys :D So here it is! The chap you've all been waiting for... Toby's shocking return! :0 Read and find out what happens! And quick warning... It's a pretty long chap guys, so you better get comfortable...

Chapter 3

"You know, you really should be doing that essay of yours, Mast- Astro. I meant Astro," Orrin said to the humanoid robot as he went around Astro's room, dumping random clothes of his into the hamper so he could wash clothes.

Astro rolled his eyes at the housebot and told him, "No worries, Orrin. That'll be easy."

He rolled over so he was now on his stomach, laying on his bed as he held the cordless phone away from his mouth.

Orrin narrowed his eyes, placing his robotic hands on his metal hips. "So what's wrong with starting it now?" He asked. He didn't mean to probe and be bossy to him, but he had always been concerned with Toby's homework schedule, always doing it late because he felt he had nothing to worry about and could get it done. Now that Astro was here, Orrin was a bit surprised to find out he did the exact same thing.

"Because I'm on the phone," Astro answered his question matter-of-factly. He bought the phone back to his mouth and spoke into it, "So when should we meet up again?"

"Really soon," Cora, who was on the other line, replied, letting out a puff of air.

"Yeah?" Astro chuckled, swinging his legs in the air. Orrin threw one last look at him before picking up the hamper and carrying it in his arms as he rolled out of the room, mumbling something under his breath. Astro continued, "But I thought we hung out just yesterday. What's the hurry?" He really did like hanging out with his friends, more than anything else other than the occasional saving the day, but it seemed they were all eager to spend more time with him.

Cora sighed and answered, "Nothing, it's just... Well, we just don't hang out much anymore, ya know? Ever since you became the city's hero..." She paused for a moment before stating, "You know, yesterday was the first time we hung out with you ever since that day..." She trailed off, not wanting to mention about that day Astro had died from having his core destroyed. Even though he came back to life and was just fine, no one liked talking about it. Not even Cora, who usually was all tough and witty.

Astro nodded in understanding and said, "Yeah, I know. Maybe tomorrow we could all do something. Go to the park like Zane wanted."

"Yeah, that would be fun." Cora was smiling on the other end. She never would admit that she missed Astro quite a lot, maybe even more than Zane, Widget, and Sludge, but the fact remained true never the less.

Astro felt the same about Cora. He really did enjoy hanging out with her and his other friends. As much as he would love to just fly over to Cora's house or the orphanage the others were staying at, he just couldn't. It wasn't that easy. There would always be something in the way like school or saving the day or... something! He knew he barely saw them now and vice versa, but he made a mental note to try and fix that.

Just then, the doorbell rang, and Astro heard Orrin call out as usual, "I'll get it!" The silver robot dropped what he was doing and rushed to the door. Once he was there, he stopped and pushed the blue button that was right beside it, causing the door to slide open automatically.

"Good after-" Orrin stopped dead in his tracks as Toby Tenma stood before him in the flesh, looking like he had just gone through a paper shredder. Clothes torn and a glum look on his face, Toby tiredly looked up at Orrin expectantly. However, Orrin, knowing Toby was 'dead', mistook him for Astro immediately. "Astro? What..." Orrin blinked a few times, shaking his head as if to clear it and took a quick peek back into the house, looking around. "You were just in the house...?"

"Ugh! Why do people keep calling me that?!" Toby asked in pure frustration. With furrowed eyebrows, he stated, "Orrin, it's me!"

"Yeah, I know it is," Orrin said sternly as he grabbed Toby and pulled him back into the house, pressing the button that shut the door. "Seriously, Astro! You must get your homework done instead of getting distracted or else Dr. Tenma will get upset!" Shaking his metallic head in disapproval, he went on, "First you're on the phone and now you're running around playing in the halls!"

There was not one word to describe how Toby felt in that moment expect confused. Staring at Orrin with a blank expression and wide open mouth, he had nothing else to do but stutter helplessly, "B-But Orrin I... I... But..." Sighing in irritation of not being able to form a conherent sentence, he took a deep breath and tried again. "Orrin, you must be confused! I'm-!"

All of a sudden, a voice called from the kitchen, "Orrin! Get in here please! I need your help!"

At once, Toby's eyes widened as he realized it was his father's voice! "Dad!" Toby cried, quickly shrugging Orrin's hand off his shoulder. As soon as he was released, he made a mad dash towards the kitchen, Orrin sighing and following right behind.

Within seconds Toby made it to the kitchen, skidding to a stop in the doorway as his boots shrieked against the polished floor. Once he caught his breath, he looked up and his brown eyes landed on Dr. Tenma bent over the stove poking at one of the buttons, looking slightly frustrated and puzzled.

"Dad..." Toby breathed, breaking into a wide smile. "Dad!" Instantly he ran over to his father, who turned around just in time to see Toby for just a split second before the boy knocked him over. He knocked the breath out of Dr. Tenma, who looked down in shock as Toby clung to him, arms wrapped tightly around his waist in a death grip.

"Dad! Oh my God Dad it was all so confusing!" Toby started ranting to him, saying, "First, I was dying, and then I did, and then I woke up, and this random kid-"

"Woah, woah, woah! Slow down, Astro," chuckled Dr. Tenma, looking down at his son with an amused smile on his face. Unfortunately, he had mistaken Toby for Astro just like Orrin did.

Toby gulped and took a deep breath, trying to calm down a little bit. That was until he realized he had called him that name again. He looked up at his father with wide, lost brown eyes, a few tears swimming in there. He eased his grip on Dr. Tenma and stepped away from him, letting his arms fall from around his waist to hang limply at his sides. Shakily, he said, "Dad, you don't get it. I'm-"

"Going to go do your homework" Orrin made his presence known by cutting in, crossing his arms over his chest as he turned to Dr. Tenma. "Sir, Astro has not done his homework yet and it's getting late."

"Oh?" Dr. Tenma looked down at his son with a raised eyebrow. "Is this true?"

Toby threw his arms out in exasperation. "What homework?!"

Shaking his head, Dr. Tenma stood up straight. "Son, you really should be starting on your work." Toby opened his mouth, about to protest in question again, but before he could Dr. Tenma looked towards Orrin. "Please take Astro to his room and make sure he starts his work. Then come back to help me out with this."

Orrin nodded. "Yes of course, Dr. Tenma." He placed his hand on Toby's shoulder and gently started leading him out of the kitchen and towards his room.

Throwing one last look at his dad, Toby then looked at Orrin, starting to protest, "B-But Orrin-"

"Really, Astro, what has gotten into you?" Orrin questioned with confused eyes. "You were acting just fine before, but now it seems you're acting a bit strange."

"Well maybe it's because you guys won't give me any answers!" Toby complained, becoming really impatient.

Orrin laughed and said, "Well you cant expect us to give you answers to your homework, Astro! That would be cheating! And besides, you never had trouble with it before."

Toby let out a groan, clearly frustrated as he buried his face in his hands, still walking beside the housebot. They were not only ignoring him, but they had no idea about anything he was saying!

Meanwhile, while all this was going on, Astro was in the bathroom, washing his hands. When he had started doing his homework after talking on the phone with Cora, he had accidentally touched something sticky and dirty. Groaning in disgust, the robot had made his way out of the room and into the bathroom.

Now Orrin and Toby had arrived at the bedroom, and Toby was still trying to protest but to no avail. Orrin carefully pushed Toby into the bedroom, making the boy stumble a bit. He turned around, about to walk right back out of the room. "Orr-!"

However, there was no room for words as Orrin had closed the door shut, leaving Toby to just stand there and stare at it with his confused eyes and a mixed up, not working at the moment brain. Sighing, he turned back around to face his old room, looking around as he tried to think of what to do since he had absolutely no clue.

"Why does everyone keep calling me Astro?" He mumbled to himself, too deep in thought to grasp the fact that he was back in his room that had been without him for 2 weeks already. Furrowing his brows, he continued, "And what homework could they possibly be talking about?"

He groaned then, grasping his hair in his hands tightly as the mystery of all that was going on became too much. If he thought he had a lot of questions before, then it was nothing compared to this. What had happened while he was gone? He kept wondering this. Clearly a lot had happened, enough to make him go insane.

Shaking his head in an attempt to clear it, Toby slowly walked over to his bed and took a seat on the edge. He looked down at his yellow quilt that he hadn't seen in so long, running his fingers over it as a shaky breath escaped his mouth. He continued to run his hands over the soft blanket, feeling the soft texture until his hands brushed over something different.

Snapping out of his thoughts, Toby looked down and saw that his hands were resting on a few sheets of paper and a textbook right under, a black pen sitting to the side. He raised his eyebrows in question.

While all this was happening with Toby, Astro had just stepped out of the bathroom, drying his hands on his shirt. He suddenly said aloud, "Wonder if dinner's ready." Tilting his head to the side, he then started walking down the hall towards the kitchen. He poked his head in and saw Dr. Tenma and Orrin bent over the stove, talking quietly to each other while pressing random things, trying to make it work.

"Hey Dad. Orrin." He nodded at them, gaining their attention as both suddenly snapped their heads up to look at him in surprise. "Is dinner ready yet?"

Orrin sighed as Dr. Tenma got up with his hands on his hips, wearing a very stern look on his face. He walked over to his robot son and stood right in front of him. "What did I just finish telling you, Astro? Stop playing around and do your homework!" He picked up one long finger and pointed down the hall directly at Astro's bedroom door. "Now."

Astro looked at him in confusion, not recalling speaking to him in quite a while, but he didn't say anything, just stood there.

Dr. Tenma sighed and gently ushered Astro a bit towards his room. "Dinner will be ready soon, but in the meantime, please get that homework of yours done." He gave him one last stern look before turning and walking back towards Orrin and the stove.

Astro's shoulders slumped as he sighed and started walking to his room, dragging his red boots along the floor.

However, what Toby didn't know was that when Orrin had brought him in the room and had closed the door, he had accidentally locked it, and now Astro was on his way there.

Once outside his bedroom door, the boy robot reached out and grabbed the doorknob, starting to turn it but became shocked when he realized it stayed stuck in place. "What the..." He kept trying to turn it, face mixed in with confusion and surprise. He now started to use both hands. "Hey! Who locked this?"

On the other side of the door, Toby's eyes widened bigger than saucers and he let out a gasp, unable to muffle it as he heard what Astro had said. But it wasn't the suddeness of the voice that surprised him. It was the fact that the voice sounded a lot like his. No scratch that. Exactly like his!

It was enough to send eerie chills down his spine and arms, shivering a little bit as well. He knew that he wasn't imagining things- that he did for a fact hear the voice. Slowly getting up, Toby started to tiptoe to the door. Once there, he let out a breath, trying to be as quiet as he could as he quietly called out,"W-Who's there?"

When hearing Toby ask this, Astro's eyes immediately widened and he suddenly stiffened in alarm. "Who is that?" He asked, clenching his fists.

"I asked first!" Toby insisted, trying to sound as unscared as he could, though he could tell he was convincing no one- not even himself. Still, he wasn't going to open the door until he got a response.

"Okay..." Astro trailed off in a calm voice. "It's Astro."

Toby could literally feel it as all the fright and confusion in him melted away quicker than thought possible. It was all replaced with new feelings. Feelings of anger and, oddly enough, curiosity. So this was the famous Astro everyone was talking about? The famous Astro that was sooo special that everyone mistook Toby for him? Immediately he wanted to have a word with this 'Astro' person!

The boy swiftly unlocked the door, though not before throwing a death glare at the door. "Well Astro, you have a TON of explaining to do!" Toby warned coldly as he turned the knob dangerously all the way, then pulling the door open. "Like why-"

He stopped dead in his tracks, mouth dropping open in complete shock as the opened door revealed... himself?!

At the same time, Astro's mouth went completely agape and he stared blankly at another him right in front of his face as they both stayed as still as stone.

What. The. HELL?!

Slowly but simultaneously, Astro and Toby looked down to examine the other's figure only to find out that they were wearing exact same clothes with the exception of the messed up state toby's were in. Not only that, but they were the same exact height. They saw that they had the exact same hair-do, the exact same chocolate brown eyes, the exact same... everything! It was like looking in a mirror.

It really wasn't long before both of them started screaming at the top of their lungs, the same two screams mixing together and combining to form only one.

A/N: O.o... wow! Now THAT was intense! So much suspense I was driving MYSELF crazy. :D well there it is, Toby is back except... not exactly welcomed with open arms given the fact that no one even knows he's back, but he's back all the same. Well, hope you guys really enjoyed this chap and I hope it was worth the wait! It's currently 5:31AM (have been writing and editing for the past couple of hours) so I seriously need to get my bed! Got a trip to pack for tomorrow. Remember, wont be updating till about the start of September, sadly :(, but remember you can always PM me or anything since I've gots a cell phone with some access to fanfiction XD. Until the next update, enjoy the rest of your summer vacation guys! Bye!


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Hey guys! :D Back from vacation finally, so now I can have some more time writing some chaps up to both this and 7 Days. Hopefully when school starts next week it wont get too much in the way :/ My teachers might not have mercy on us... Anyway, so I know how long you guys have been waiting for this, so here it is!

Chapter 4

There were days when you'd be so full of energy and excitement that the idea of going outside for an adventure was beyond a blessing. When you felt like just having a good time and having as much fun as you possibly could due to the nice day and good attitude.

Then there were the days where you couldn't get to your bed or couch quick enough. Those lazy days where you find yourself trudging through the house, staying indoors all day. When you'd be up for only a few moments before you marked your spot on the couch in front of the TV and stayed there for the rest of the day.

That was the type of day Trashcan was having. Or, at least, had planned on having.

Honestly, the robotic dog couldn't have thanked Astro enough for his kind favor of letting him stay in his home instead of outdoors. Now he could actually relax and rest like normal dogs were supposed to do instead of hunting around 24/7 like he had done while on the Surface. Yup, this life was for relaxation, and he had been doing just that moments ago: relaxing.

That was until he was woken up in the middle of a deep slumber to a bunch of loud screams like as if someone was about to be killed or something. Trashcan jumped up from all the noise and growled in annoyance from under the small night table in Astro's room. No one liked being woken up, and Trashcan was no exception.

The robotic dog lazily started coming out of his place, about to go out the bedroom door to see what the commotion was all about, but he obviously couldn't do it with the people in the way, Astro to be exact.

Trashcan didn't know whwhether to scream a bark or absolutely faint when he took a double take at what he saw right in front of his face. Of course the dog knew they had become great friends and he knew the whole story. Trashcan was always the one the robot talked to when no one else was around to listen. Traschan knew almost everything there was to know about Astro Tenma; how he looked, when he would feel a certain way, how he reacted to things, what he liked and disliked, all of that he knew from watching him. And he could tell you right now he never, ever knew that there were actually two Astros existing.

Right in the middle of the doorway stood two Astros, looking completely alike with the same exact clothes on and everything was just... the same. There wasn't really any other way to describe it. Of course, this was indeed shocking to Trashcan and would have shaken it off, labeling this as something unusual and would comment later on had it not been for the very high, loud, and shrilling screams coming from both of them, and the dog knew something was wrong.

Not only did Trashcan know something was wrong from the screams, but something else was off... He knew Astro's scent all too well and smelt him right there, but there was another weird scent radiating off of one of them that screamed too unusual and weird.

However, dogs weren't made to be like humans and whip out some guns to start attacking. All they ever did was do what they could, and that's what Trashcan was doing; what he was capable of doing.

Jumping around them in circles with his robotic legs, barking over and over nonstop at the new 'Astro'.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen the loud screaming could be heard and Dr. Tenma and Orrin scrunched up their eyebrows in confusion, exchanging a questioning glance.

Astro and Toby kept screaming their lungs out until common sense erupted into their minds and they started bolting out of the bedroom towards the kitchen, all the while screaming even more and a barking Trashcan right behind. They ran all throughout the house, side by side as they pushed each other out of the way, trying to get to their destination first. As they ran, they knocked over some random things off of shelves and made a huge mess behind them.

"Get away from me!" Astro yelled, shoving Toby away, causing the boy to lose balance slightly and nearly knock right into a bookshelf, but he managed to keep himself up.

Toby huffed and pushed Astro to the side with his shoulder. "Not unless you get away first!" He yelled back, and the robot almost tripped over the coffee table that was in the way. It was like a weird race of some sorts- them running through the whole house while trying to get farther away from each other as possible, using violence as the answer. Clearly it wasn't working, because every time they tried to separate, they'd end up shoulder to shoulder yet again, much to their frustration and fright.

Dr. Tenma heard all the running from the kitchen and stood up from his place on the floor, crossing his arms. "This better be good..." he huffed, not in the mood to deal with all this.

Finally, after what felt like hours of pushing and running and snapping and yelling, Astro and Toby had made their appearance known as they burst into the kitchen. Unintentionally, they tripped over each other at the doorway and sloppily fell to the floor beside each other, Toby landing on his behind and Astro on his hands and knees. Both were breathing heavily, eyes huge as if they had seen a ghost. Dr. Tenma had froze in his tracks, bones going stiff as his mouth gave in and dropped down low in a gape. Orrin gasped loudly and dropped the bowl of lettuce he had been holding, the glass shattering to the floor and creating a million pieces of glass to litter the floor, lettuce spread out everywhere.

The room stayed still in absolute silence for a moment, like time had stood still. Dr. Tenma was staring in total, utter shock at both the boys in front of him as Orrin started rambling on about how he must have been having another malfunction or loose wire while frantically wheeling himself back and forth.

After Astro and Toby had caught their breath, they cast a glance at each other before the panic started to rise to their heads again and they started scrambling up to their feet. After that was done, they tried to distance themselves a little bit and finally turned to their father.

"Dad..." Astro let out a shuddering breath. "What... is this?" He gestured to Toby, trying not to touch him or anything.

Toby furrowed his brows and snapped, "I should be asking the same thing!" He desperately turned his eyes to his dad. "Who is he, Dad? Why the hell does he look just like me?"

"Dad, do something! Who the hell is this?!" Astro yelled, losing his patience completely and yet no one could blame him. "What's going on here?"

Dr. Tenma just stood there, trying to figure out what this could all mean. He tried to find words that would come out of his mouth, but there was nothing. His mouth just stayed still in it's agape form and his eyes glued to them both.

Toby started making gestures in his face to get his attention. "DAD! Come ON I'm really freaked out right now!" He pleaded, a few tears swimming in his eyes as the confusion and sadness started to really get to him. It was all just too much right now and it was all about to come bursting out. A new found feeling of anger picked at his insides and Toby let out a murderous glare, turning it to Astro. "Tell me who you are!"

His tone set off something in Astro and he returned the glare, clenching his fists tight. "I don't need to tell you anything!"

"Yes you do! Tell me now you good for nothing look-alike!" Toby yelled, stepping forward as he got right in the robot's face.

"No." Astro stated in a cold yet flaming voice that just screamed 'Dont mess with me'.

Clearly Toby didn't get the message for he started fuming. "I demand to know who the hell you are! Tell me now before I do something Dad wont be proud of!"

"Hes not proud some impostor came in here and decided to mess with my head! Get out of my house right now!" Astro fumed right back.

"YOUR house?! This is MY HOME! You cant kick me out of my own home!"

"I just did! And anyway, this isn't even your house! You don't live here, now GOODBYE!"

"You goodbye!" Toby snapped.

"I already dismissed you! Now LEAVE!"

"I'M NOT LEAVING!" Toby yelled, and before anybody could do anything he pulled his fist back and threw the hardest punch he could throw right at Astro's face. His fist connected with his cheek really hard, but it ended up doing more harm than good. "OW?! WHAT THE HE- OW!" Toby screeched, clutching his throbbing fist to his chest, clenching his teeth as he tried not to let out a cry. His face had been so hard! How...?

Astro's mouth went slack a little as he rubbed his cheek with his hand lightly, staring at the other in shock. "That actually hurt a bit..." He whispered. It hadn't even been several seconds before his face turned into a sneer and he threw himself at Toby, making the boy yelp in surprise and causing them to collapse onto the floor.

Orrin grasped again, going even more crazy than before while Astro and Toby started fighting on the kitchen floor. Funny the things nerves and impatience can do to you.

No one even stopped them from rolling all around the floor, throwing rather rude comments here and there while they didn't exactly full out beat each other up, but just some rough housing. Dr. Tenma still stood still, staring down at them in a mixture of awe and shock. He didn't even bother to move when they rolled into him and nearly knocked him over. When he didn't show any sign of attention they continued their brawl and this time almost smacked right into Orrin.

"Ah! Dr. Tenma do something before this gets out of hand!" Orrin squealed, trying to move back as far away from them as he could.

His brain wouldn't cooperate with him though; he couldn't find it in him to even think. All that processed was that his two boys, Astro and Toby-it must have been Toby, of that he was sure- were right here in front of him. Sure, not exactly a good start since their fight never eased up, but still here with him none-the-less.

Thats when his mind shut off on him completely and his world went black, eyes rolling to the back of his head as he suddenly collapsed to the floor, fainting without any warning.

The two boys on the floor immediately stopped when they heard the loud thud on the floor and halted in their tracks. Toby was currently on top of Astro, his hands around his neck tightly as he tried to strangle him to death. Astro was trying to move out from under him while also trying to pull Toby's hands away. Their eyes widened as they took in their father's still, unconscious form on the floor and Orrin gasped yet again.

Both boys gulped simultaneously and called out in concerned unison, "D-Dad?"

A/N: YES. Muhahaha a cliffy! A cliffy! I just pulled a cliffy! XD MEH HE HE HE. *clears throat* um, anyway, Hehe, so I know it may be a bit short, but with school starting in two days (DX BOO!) I have to get some things ready! Next chap will be long but for now I have to do... LAST MINUTE SUPPLY SHOPPING XD always a good time. So until next chap, GOODBYE!


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: IM AM SO SO SO VERY VERY SORRY D: I know it's been a while and I said I would update but during this past month I've had to move to a new apartment and help move crap and paint stuff and fix crap and BLAH. In other words I've been really busy moving in so I HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO UPDATE. But never fear! I am back to update. If you saw yes, I changed my name and everything just because I felt like it :D Likes it? So bye bye to Renesmee5550123, hello to AstraCastle! Wow that's gonna take some getting used to... Annnnyyyyywayyy, I don't want to bore you guys with my sobbing life story so here is another chapter. OH! One more thing, I kind of made this confusing for myself :l See, the prologue is chapter one, and then chapter two is chapter one, and chapter two is three and so on. IT CONFUSES THE CRAP OUT OF ME DX. So instead of going back to change everything (too much work. Too lazy...) pretend prologue is actually chapter one and chapter one is chapter two and so on... So basically I skipped chapter 5... Pretend the last chapter was chapter 5 cuz I put it under the title chapter 4 so just PLAY PRETEND and make believe this never happened. Chapter 6 up and ready! Oh and the next few chaps **_**might**_** be a little shorter than usual because I have a lot of work to do lately, not to mention vacation homework *looks at tall pile of papers* SHUDDERS. **

**Disclaimer: (Always forget these...) I dont own Astro Boy. NOOOOOOOO THE TORTURE DX. Trust me, if I owned it there would definitely be a sequel. And another. And another. And another. ^^ Sadly, though, I only own this plot. Good enough, though, right? I think so too!**

_**Chapter 6 **_

"I feel bad..."

"You _should_ feel bad. You're the one who made him faint."

"No I didn't! It was all you! If you hadn't been here-"

"No way! It's all your fault. Don't even try to deny it."

"You're the one who's denying the truth that it's your fault he's unconscious."

"Not true. Not true in the slightest! The one to blame here-"

"Is both of you!" Astro and Toby stopped arguing at once when Orrin rolled into the room, metal arms folded across his chest. His mouth was formed into a frown, something unusual for usual peppy Orrin. That just meant he was serious. "Seriously, if you two had just kept it together and acted normal then Dr. Tenma wouldn't be in this mess! You didn't give the poor man any room to react, let alone breathe!"

Both boys bowed their heads in shame, knowing that Orrin was right. Maybe they had went a little too far. What would have happened if they hadn't acted like complete animals in that kitchen? He'd probably be with them now, smiling and embracing them both. Grimacing, both of them simultaneously turned their heads to look at an unconscious Tenma lying on the couch with an ice pack on his forehead. They were all now in the living room, waiting for him to wake up. Astro was sitting in the single couch chair while Toby sat down on the coffee table. Orrin stayed by the doorway to keep an eye on not only Tenma, but the two boys as well. He had done anything he could to help his master. Now all they could do was wait.

The room filled with an awkward silence as they just sat there still as stone, watching. Waiting. No one had anything to say as of now. They had stopped trying after Astro and Toby had their first argument when Tenma was out unconscious. It resulted in Orrin carrying an angry Astro over his shoulder and out of the room for a while before the robot could blast poor Toby with one of his arm cannons. They thought it'd be best to not say anything at all unless it was necessary.

All of a sudden, though, that silence was broken when Toby whispered aloud, "What's he gonna think of me?" His eyes were swimming with sadness and confusion as he looked at his dad, then turned to look at Orrin. "What will he say?"

"I don't know, Toby. I really don't," Orrin replied honestly. He didn't know what to tell the poor kid. However Tenma reacted to his return was to remain a mystery until he actually woke up.

A few more achingly slow minutes passed with Toby's thoughts becoming too much. He finally sighed in aggravation and asked, "When is he supposed to wake up?"

"How are we supposed to know?" Astro replied, folded his arms across his chest.

Toby shrugged it off and exclaimed, "I'm serious! Why do we have to wait so long?" He got up from the table and went right up to Tenma.

"Toby..." Orrin warned, wheeling a bit closer.

"I mean it's not like he's dead or anything." He leaned in towards his face and shaped his fingers into a flicking position right in front of Tenma's nose.

"TOBY NO!" Both Astro and Orrin yelled at the same time, lunging forward to try and stop the boy from what he was about to do. But it was too late. Toby put everything into his fingers in that moment and flicked Tenma extremely hard in the nose. The two robots stood beside him in shock, mouths gaping open.

"Why would you_ DO_ that?!" Astro yelled.

Toby furrowed his brows and shrugged. "What? I don't see the harm in it." He looked over to his dad and gasped, a wide grin spreading on his face. "Look! It worked, he's waking up!" He pointed a finger at Tenma, who was slightly stirring on the couch with a distressed look on his face. His eyebrows were scrunched in a scowl as his hand slowly came up to his nose where Toby had flicked it. He rubbed it and groaned.

"...I'm out!" Astro exclaimed, turning on his heel towards his room. He took one step and Orrin had him over his shoulder in seconds. "Aw come on! Let me hide out in my room until he settles down." The young robot pouted, arms hanging uselessly.

Orrin shook his head. "Absolutely not Master Astro." He set him back down on the floor next to Toby, who shot a glare and took a step away. "You _both _have to confront your father. God knows he'll need all the explaining he can get."

"But what if..." Astro trailed off, looking at Toby warily. The boy wasn't paying attention at all, fiddling with his fingers nervously. The robot leaned in towards Orrin and whispered in panic, "What if he decides to shut me off?!"

"He's not going to shut you off!" Orrin assured Astro, but said it a little too loudly.

Toby heard this and looked over at them in confusion. "Shut you off? What do you mean shut you off?" He asked, looking between both Astro and Orrin. Astro had his eyes wide, mouth opening and closing as he thought of an excuse. None came to mind. Orrin gasped and threw his hand over his blue mouth, now realizing what he just revealed to Toby. He wasn't supposed to know that Astro was a robotic copy of him. Not yet at least...

"Uhh... Um... Well I um... You see..." Astro laughed nervously, scratching his neck as Toby watched him curiously. "I kind of uhh..."

Toby thought about what he had said, staring at Astro as he tried to make out what it meant. It then occurred to him what was going on, and he gasped loudly, eyes wider than saucers. It all made sense now. How there was someone that looked just like him. _How_ there was someone that looked just like him. He wasn't just some regular average boy that happened to be a look-a-alike. He was a...

"Robot..."

Orrin let out a shaky breath, looking down at Astro with a worried glance, unsure what to do. Astro was still as stone, not knowing how to handle this situation. He wasn't prepared for this; he had no idea Toby was going to find out so soon. And now that he had, he could do nothing but stare at the boy who he was programmed after.

"Oh my God..." Toby shuddered, stepping away from Astro with a horrified look all over his face. He pointed an accusing finger at his counter self and squeaked, "You... You're a..." He suddenly clapped his hand over his mouth and mumbled, "Oh God I think I'm gonna be sick." And with that, Toby bent over and spilled all the contents from his stomach out onto the floor.

Tenma chose that right moment to wake up out of his daze, opening his eyes and blinking rapidly. After he took a few seconds to collect himself, he glanced over and saw Astro and Orrin staring at something with hesitant expressions.

"What's going on here?" Tenma made his presence known, suddenly becoming really distressed. The two robots shot their gaze to the scientist as he started rambling, "Astro, I don't know what kind of game you're playing at here trying to make clones of yourself, but honestly you need to stop. You nearly gave me a heart attack with one of them when I thought it was..." He shook his head to clear it, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Never mind. I just have a horrible headache. Orrin would you mind getting me some painkillers from the-"

It was then that Tenma realized Toby was with them in the room. He looked over and watched with a blank expression the so called 'clone' as he was bent over a mess of vomit all over the floor, breathing heavily.

Tenma slowly turned to see Astro looking at anything but him, avoiding his gaze entirely while Orrin whistled quietly, looking away as well. He looked back and forth between Toby and the two robots before he yelled, "Well somebody _DO SOMETHING! _Orrin please clean this mess up," he said with a disgusted tone and expression. "Astro go to your room and shut this thing down. I'm going back to-"

"Dr. Tenma, sir," Orrin spoke up, gulping as he wheeled forward. "This boy..." He gestured towards Toby, who now had his head raised, revealing a sickly green color to his skin and droopy eyes. "...Isn't a clone, sir."

Tenma stared at the robot blankly, retorting with a raised eyebrow, "Well then what is it, Orrin?"

Orrin opened his mouth, about to answer him when Toby beat him to it. "It's me Dad... Your son... The one who you thought was dead... The one who, who you made a copy, a _ROBOT _copy of..." Realization dawned on Tenma's face with a look of complete disbelief and horror. Toby turned his head to the side, looking his father straight in the eyes as he stated, "I'm Toby."

**A/N: OOOOOH WELL GUESS WHAT I'M STOPPING IT THERE! MUHAHAHAHA! MUHAHAHAHHA HAHAHHAA! HAAAA- *coughs uncontrollably* DX Well that's enough laughing for me! But anyway, that's all you're getting for today! I plan on writing another chap on new years day for you people how does that sound? XD Well we'll have to see about that. If I'm not busy and crap doesn't get in my way then you guys just might be getting a new years present... or two... :D Consider this a late christmas present! Bye for now all! *EXPLODES***


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